Lovetocruise2002

I might be a bit jaded (because I am used to Oasis class) but we went to all 3 last summer and Hubby and I did not care for any of them.

Not that I know of. Last year when our luggage did not make it with us, we went to Publix before we went to the terminal and bought a whole bunch of full size toiletries (including shampoo and conditioner). We actually boarded with our Publix bag in hand lol, and no one said a thing. I also bring full size products normally in my checked luggage (when it's not lost) and no one says anything either.

Unfortunately, eBay might be your best bet. This happened to us on Freedom last summer. I paid a bit more to get a model of Freedom on eBay.

Truth is, nothing really beats the first star experience. But I still enjoy star very much, along with the perks of the Genie. I just dislike the inconsistency from ship to ship. And when I do sail Sky (like I did on SY a few months ago), I am not going to lie, I definitely miss star. That's sort of where I am right now.

That looks like some parts of Canada even in the summer! Honestly, no. European cruises are so port heavy that you don't get to take full advantage of Star on those sailings. I only did star on Norway because Anthem was the only ship doing that sailing and I wanted the aft views for Norway. That forced me into the Grand Loft. No other rooms have that view. My first choice was to sail a smaller ship and save some money. Next summer, I looked at those Oasis sailings out of Barcelona. We booked a similar itinerary on Voyager instead. Same (and some better) ports and way cheaper. You're barely on the ship for those European sailings.

That is exactly what we do when we sail Sky. 3 night dining package or just all meals in CK and use our D+ vouchers. I stopped getting the beverage package when those vouchers came out. Aww...thank you for following. I've been trying to blog all my sailings since 2018. It's a good way to pay it forward. I learn a lot from other people's blog. I linked each one in my signature below so no need to search too far lol

I have only purchased the dining package on a non-OA/QN class ship. The suite concierge reached out a week prior and I listed all the restaurants and dining times I wanted and she booked it for me. It was not a problem. I don't know how well it works on OA/QN class. I will be trying that for Wonder this July. We are booked in Sky and I purchased a 3 night package so I will ask when the suite concierge reaches out.

Funny WJ story... I told Marla right after we boarded that the goal during the week was to keep my parents out of the WJ. My parents are both early risers and it's part of their cruise routine to head to the buffet before 7am. I told them leading up to the cruise that CK is way better and more calm and they should take advantage of that. First morning of the cruise, I woke up around 7am to find my parents gone. Got a text from them that they went to the WJ because they complained that CK opened too late for them. I got ready and headed to CK myself around 7:45am and texted them back that I was there. They ended up meeting me there and "tried a few things". Still unwilling to admit that CK was better. Second morning I asked if they wanted to go CK with me, they said they would "check out WJ first". They ended up doing a walk around but didn't eat anything. They joined me in CK for breakfast. By Day 3, I woke up at 7am to find a text from them saying they went to Starbucks to get coffee and were waiting in the suite lounge for CK to open up. They never went back the WJ after that.

Late to the party on this one. Brilliance is a ship that I sailed long ago (2005) and we have been trying to get back on her with no luck. Post lots of pics!

I totally agree with your entire post Raye. Hubby and I actually discussed this a bit over the past week. For us, some of the value is in the cabins too because we are "those people" who do enjoy spending a lot of time in our room. Especially me. That is relaxing for me. We like the SC rooms. I know that Hubby (he won't admit it) missed Deck 17 a bit as well this past week. At the moment, we have 3 more SC in the books, all 3 with our girls. When our kids stop sailing with us (I am so sad about that), we will re-evaluate at that point. That is pretty much the decision we have come to.

+1 on including wifi on the smaller ships. I would love that. We have a Liberty sailing coming up for 9 nights and I priced out a 4 device plan...$512 total! Yikes.

Hey! I know that lady in the pink from the suites waiting area picture lol. She is awesome, funny, and very full of life. We sailed with her on our #majorstarclasstakeover last year on Oasis. Glad you had a great time. Oasis has great genies. That might be my favourite ship at the moment for star class sailings.

I would not be surprised if they are all gone. Royal released those Europe 2024 sailings a few months ago already, and the room that you mentioned are star class cabins and those are always the first to go.

I think that is what I have been trying to explain. SC was not bad on HM, but compared to our other SC sailings it was the least flexible, and most restrictive. That is in no way a reflection of our genie, it is the way the ship is run. Now, is that because our group was large that made it more restrictive? I don’t know. Was it because we were on a sailing with many other large groups? Also don’t know. As far as my Dad goes, he would never do star on his own, that is just not in his personality. But did he enjoy the benefits of star this time? He most definitely took full advantage